In this month's blog we'll explore the many options available for what is probably the most important element within the kitchen: storage.

For all the emphasis on doors, worktops and other larger elements within kitchen installations, sometimes little is said about the relatively unexciting but ultimately all important storage. And by storage, we're talking about somewhere to put the good stuff, as well as the rubbish! We'll walk you through what products are on offer, and how they can benefit you when installing, and the benefits for your customers when using these on a day to day basis.

When asked about storage in a kitchen, most people are going to assume we're talking about pan drawers and base units. However, there are now many options available to maximise and utilise every possible space within even the smallest kitchen. It's about making the space you've got work smarter, and things don't come any smarter than our selection of wirework options.

Corners

If your customers are sick of crawling around, trying to get into the dark corners of their kitchen corner units, it's about time they were introduced to the corner storage solutions from Vibo. Including products such as the Easy Corner, the Smart Corner,
the Fly Moon, the 1/2 Carousel and the 3/4 Carousel, the contents of each corner cupboard becomes instantly more accessible, creating a much more usable space. Gone will be the days of non-necessary items being stored in these corner cupboards, thanks to increased visibility and ease of access.
These products are great for installers too: each product comes with easy to follow instructions, and most items can be fixed in under thirty minutes, meaning you can add serious value to your kitchen install in very little time at all!

Pull Outs

Pull outs have become a very popular choice in more recent years.
Side Mounted and Base Mounted are a great solution to those smaller cupboard spaces that would have traditionally just been blanked off.

By offering pull out storage, small cupboards can become a great space for a range of items, such as baking trays, chopping boards, bottles and more awkward, taller items that can otherwise take up a lot of cupboard space.

Pantries & Larders

Without doubt, these two products are some of the most sought after consumer products on the market, thanks to how impressive they look in situ, and how versatile they make the kitchen space.

The stunning Vibo Chef's Pantry really is a showstopper, with most consumers experiencing that 'wow factor' when they first see it in action, thanks to it being such a focal point of any kitchen space.

The Chef's Pantry provides five inner and five door baskets each, and can hold loads of up to 80kg, meaning it can carry just about anything your customers will be wanting to store. The 180 degree opening also makes accessibility great too, meaning that anyone can dive in and out with ease, seeing each and every product equally as well. With prices from just over £400 for a typical 600mm wide pantry, these offer a solid option for most kitchen installs.

Centre Mount larders are becoming popular within the market too, as they offer similar benefits to the Chef's Pantry, if not on a slightly smaller scale, and provide great visibility coupled with great value for money. With robust stainless steel baskets capable of holding some serious weight, they make a great choice for kitchens of all shapes and sizes.

Waste Bins

Now, let's talk briefly about rubbish. It's an inevitable by-product of everyday living, and in any kitchen there's going to be waste produced from cooking, cleaning and general living. Keeping that waste out of sight and easily stored is made a lot easier with the addition of a bin storage system, of which HPP has an extensive selection to cater for all budgets and space requirements.

For pure ease of installation, cabinet size options and practical use, the Ace Bin range comes highly recommended. Available for cabinets from 300mm-600mm, with its robust framework and soft-close hinges, general waste, recycled items and food waste can be hidden away, safe and secure together with odour filters for the smaller food waste caddies (where these are included).

Other waste bins in the HPP collection cater for a range of cabinet sizes and budgets, and let's not forget that utility rooms need some waste storage too, so there are some simple swing-lid options available. Check out the full range out here.

It's now been a few months since we launched our 'A Unique Choice' brand, at the heart of which are the visually stunning and informative kitchen and bedroom brochures.

The new brand has been developed to give you inspirational imagery, exciting rooms sets and innovative design concepts that will help show your customers what you can deliver, and to what standards too.

To help you learn a little more about each of the ranges, we're going to be focusing on one kitchen and one bedroom range each month, giving you some juicy insights that might just help encourage your next customer to make that final purchase decision.

If you've not seen a brochure yet, it's easy to request physical copies or download PDF versions by logging into your trade account here: www.hpponline.co.uk/a-unique-choice or call our Sales team on 0161 620 5656.

In this first instalment of these features on the 'A Unique Choice' brand, we're going to focus on the extensive spectrum of options available from the Aspects Bedroom and Kitchen Doors range: a premium, bespoke, made to measure door range that is bang on-trend and bursting with innovative lines that boasts over 100 décors ranging from rustic wood grain textures right through to cutting edge gloss finishes, and pretty much everything in between.

The Aspects Collection is split into five unique ranges: Signature, Shades, Reflections, PerfectSense and Impressions.

Here's a little more about each…

Signature

If high-end texture and luxury is key to your customer, this might just be the range for them. The Aspects Signature range delivers some of the most tactile and visually pleasing materials on the market to date, with highly precise manufacturing processes that deliver texture, quality and finishes like no other.

With each door being made to measure, and available in 24 décors, these lend themselves perfectly to a wide range of styles, tastes, and room shapes and come with a reassuring 6-year guarantee.

Shades

Not unlike 50 shades, there are some décors and finishes in this range sure to get your customers hearts racing, as the Aspects Shades collection delivers premium high gloss acrylic door components that have superior scratch resistance and a choice of matching or contrasting PVC edging.

Each Aspects Shades door is made to measure exactly how you need it, and is available on quick turnaround times with hinge hole drilling available, making the install an easier one for you whilst out on site. And of course, this range also comes with our 6-year guarantee, giving you and your customers total peace of mind.

Reflections

If fun and vibrant is part of your next project's brief, Aspects Reflections might just be what you should direct your clients to look at. This stimulating range of doors brings a wealth of premium bold and unique gloss décors, that deliver highly contemporary and on-trend finishes that are exceptionally glossy, setting them apart from many competitors within the market.

The range has 20 décors to choose from, with everything from vivid Lime Grass and Marmara Blue, right through to smooth and sophisticated Ceylon Macassar and Havana mirror gloss. Each door comes with a 6-year guarantee.

PerfectSense

A perfectly formed collection of Aspects is the PerfectSense range of lacquered doors, which are much more than just your conventional door thanks to a completely new finishing process. The special coating method with UV paint technology enhances the surface look and feel, which was previously only available in certain high-end products.

PerfectSense has an exclusive range of 13 colours to choose from (7 gloss and 6 matt finishes), with each door being made to measure to exacting standards.

The PerfectSense Gloss range offers some truly premium and striking options: the luxurious finish creates a flawless surface that reflects light and makes spaces look larger. By contrast but by no means a lesser option, is the PerfectSense Matt range. Driven by market demand for muted yet high quality décors, the finish is velvety-smooth and its special No-Fingerprint coating ensures smudges and smears are a thing of the past.

Impressions

If your next kitchen project is all about texture, woodgrain and tactile features, then Impressions is going to do just what you need, and more! The range is packed with realistic woodgrain and grained paint-effect décors, all of which help to build a premium look and feel without the need for a huge budget.

Available in over 35 décors, spanning a wide range of popular timber finishes, Aspects Impressions delivers in terms of quality, reliability and budget, whilst also allowing for inspiring designs and finishes to be achieved, all of which is backed by our 6-year guarantee.

The choice offered by the entire Aspects Doors collection is remarkable: there's a décor finish for every installation style, any client requirement, any budget. Matt, gloss, woodgrain patterned or textured, the range is staggering. The range of door décors, coupled with the HPP 6-year guarantee, makes for a winning combination that should enable you, our trade customers, to seal the sales deal with your clients.

In this month's HPP Blog, Mark Smith asks 'Has Smart Home Technology really taken off yet?'

The phrase 'Smart Home Technology' is an expression we have become more and more familiar with in recent years. But what does it actually mean, and where is it taking us?

There's pretty much an 'app' these days for everything but does this mean we're more attached to our mobile technology than ever before, instead of actively removing a repetitive task or making it considerably easier?

In theory, smart home technology is great. Smart homes are efficient, convenient and have increased comfort and security. You can control when appliances turn on and off, along with how much energy is being used; integrated sensors mean you can monitor your home no matter where you are; lighting can be adjusted according to the time of day, climate or mood; complex tasks can be made much simpler.

So, if this is the case, as promised by hi-tech companies and gadget start-ups, why isn't every home a 'smart home'?

The answer is simple: nobody really knows what smart home technology is offering right now.

According to industry analysts IHS Markit, 80 million smart home devices were delivered in 2016. Though most of these were home assistants, like the Amazon Echo, there is no doubt that smart home technology is simultaneously on the rise and at a crossroads. It has the power and potential to make 2017 the year of the smart home, providing it markets itself in the right way.

There is a danger of continuing down the route of being more of a 'fad' than a practical feature of the home. Recent smart home technology adverts show us more about how the technology helps us be lazy, rather than how it helps us day-to-day. Your smart home technology can turn on your light for you but is that really easier than just switching the light on yourself?

The biggest problem with smart home technology seems to be that in order to take full advantage, you have to integrate systems into your home in a way that is going to be costly - or already have the technology integrated during construction. For the average household to get on board with such technology, it would require being able to get multiple devices to work together at an inexpensive rate.

So there again we have a problem with understanding what a 'Smart Home' actually is. Is it a fully integrated, all-singing, all-dancing technological system that runs throughout your home? Or could it just be multiple, cross-platform devices that work together to make your home more efficient?

It seems that for 2017 to really be the year of smart home technology, companies need to be smarter in educating their customers as to what they're really offering, as well as providing robust systems that don't leaver users in the dark when a software update fails or when there's no Wi-Fi signal. Promoting a technology that makes their lives easier, than just one more gadget to add to the 'Internet of Things' will be key: how to make smart technology in the home affordable, easily integrated and future-proof, whilst selling it to consumers as a commodity that brings value to peoples' lifestyles.

In this month's HPP Blog, Mark Smith gives a rundown of the latest trends expected to impact on the kitchen and bedroom industry in 2017.

Texture:

2016 saw the market really focus on texture in a big way, and texture became as much a consideration as décor colours and styles.

The market for textured board, doors and worktops grew at a faster rate than anyone could have predicted, with designers, installers and consumers all seeing it as a must-have item for new kitchen and bedroom designs.

This rise in demand has brought about some exciting additional innovations to the marketplace, which will inevitably take the industry forward in this area throughout 2017.

We've seen the recent introduction of metallised melamine faced boards that use copper, stainless steel and other metallic surfaces that not only look and feel great, but don't dull blades when being cut. This means some outstanding interior design pieces can be created that are actually practical for the end installer to work with, and great for the consumer to enjoy each and every day.

This is a serious step forward for the industry and one that looks set to bring about some exciting finishes this year.

Lighting:

Lighting is also a huge part of any kitchen or bedroom design these days, and thanks to some pretty impressive developments in LED technology, the choices in 2017 are vast.

We now see everything from LED task lighting, right through to colour-changing mood lighting becoming not only a key part of design but more economical to purchase thanks to improved manufacturing volumes and processes. 2017 will also see the introduction of LED lights that allow the consumer to select from either warm or cool lighting from just the one bulb, rather than having to choose from one bulb type only.

Lighting is so critical in setting the right look, feel and tone of each design, that installers and designers alike are now using this to great effect, and we're pleased to see some latest COB (Chip On Board) lighting technology becoming more common place in the market. This reduces the need for separate transformers / drivers thanks to the chip being part of the fitting. This then allows for a more flexible installation approach, and means retro fitting certain items with the more efficient LED products is a much easier, quicker and more cost effective process.

Automation:

Still linked with lighting, but working on a wider scale too, home automation is becoming a much more important element for designers and installers to carefully consider and read up on during 2017.

The market is seeing an influx of new home automation products such as automated lighting, smart heating that reacts when you're near to your home, wireless AV systems and smart appliances too.

Whilst this is still a relatively new and slightly more expensive area of the KBB market, consumers seem to be warming to the benefits of this area. Therefore, it's important for tradesmen to be aware of clever products such as the SensioSound all-in-one light and Bluetooth speaker, which allows users to play music from their under-cabinet lighting, something we feel works really well in a modern kitchen environment.

Style & Design:

The emerging styles and trends for this coming year seem to be twofold at present, very similar to 2016.

One area of the market is very much all about rustic, tactile and more natural finishes, which is why painted surfaces and heavily textured boards and doors are high on the agenda for most designers; but we're still seeing strong demand for popular slab-fronted doors, albeit with some subtle changes to this contemporary style in the form of matt finishes, ultra high gloss and mirror gloss.

Whatever trends take the lead this year, it's certainly looking set to be an exciting one with some real innovations in production techniques that are giving designers and installers much more scope to create something more bespoke and totally unique.

If you need any advice or inspiration on latest trends and products to help with your next installation, why not pop into our Trade Counter and let our team show you what we've got to offer?

A look at the difference between PVC edged, vinyl wrapped and painted doors for kitchens, bedrooms, offices and bathrooms.

Cabinet doors are key to the look and feel of kitchens, bedrooms and offices. They are the first thing that the eye is drawn to so need to look good, be durable, hard-wearing and resilient to everyday wear and tear.

When it comes to finding the right style and material there is a lot to choose from, which is why we decided to outline the most popular choices and applications in the industry.

Vinyl-wrapped:

Vinyl-wrapped doors are made from MDF panels that are cut and profiled as required, then glued and covered with vinyl.

Because the vinyl goes all the way around the door, it provides a nice neat finish, as there are no distracting joints to see. They are also versatile as the MDF panels that the vinyl is attached to can be designed and routed to lots of different profiles, from contemporary-look flat doors to more traditional themes and styles.

Vinyl can, of course, come in a huge variety of colours and textures (gloss, woodgrains, matt and even mirrored) giving customers an outstanding selection of colours and combinations to choose from.

Vinyl-wrapped doors are a very popular and economical choice.

Vinyl is durable and made to last - it’s also designed to be scratch and chip resistant, keep out moisture (especially important in kitchens), can be wiped clean and never needs repainting.

Look out for poor quality vinyl wrapped doors that can have an ‘orange peel’ like finish. If heat or moisture penetrates the seam at the back (where the vinyl meets the MDF) it can cause the vinyl to peel, so it’s always a good idea to buy from a manufacturer you can trust that uses the best possible products in the manufacturing process.

PVC-edged:

PVC-edged doors are made using MFC (melamine faced chipboard) with a matching PVC edging.

They give a contemporary look and are available in a large range of colours, different wood grain effects and textures – giving flexibility and variety.

These doors are probably the most durable cabinet doors available, as the edges, often the weakest area of the MFC, are covered in PVC and so prevents chipping.

They also do not require varnishing or repainting, and are ideal for high traffic areas such as kitchens and bathrooms as they can be easily cleaned, meaning they deal with the many tasks daily life throw at them effortlessly.

PVC edged doors are usually the most economical choice within the range of doors available and make an affordable option whatever the budget. They also do their bit for the environment too as MFC is a sustainable wood based product, meaning your cabon footprint per installation will be reduced. One thing to be aware of is that the quality and finish of the edging can vary from one manufacturer to another. Sometimes the edges can be visible especially in a light glossy colour if not manufactured to a high standard, so make sure to use a manufacturer you can trust.

Painted doors:

One of the many advantages of painted doors is the choice and flexibility that they provide – they are available in an almost unlimited range of colours, textures and design options, making them a popular option for both modern and traditional applications. Also, by using a colour matching service, your customers can achieve a bespoke and personalised design that will not be seen anywhere else.

This exclusivity is another big advantage for those looking to achieve a custom and premium look and feel, on top of the fact that painted doors often have smoother finishes, and non-fading, non-yellowing and offer more uniform textures.

Painted doors don’t tend to chip easily either, although wear might be more visible on lighter colours, which is an important factor to consider at specification stage. Don’t be put off though, as unlike many doors within the market, stains and smudges can be easily touched-up and repaired.

Painted doors do however come with a higher than average price tag due to the work involved in the process, which is why they are normally considered a higher end product than most mass-manufactured items.

With careful selection and professional help from the experts at HPP, any of these options can help you to create the style and design of your choice.

Let's start 2016 with some good news, consumer spending is on the increase, there's a rising demand for new homes, and people are increasingly recognising the value of updating their homes in order to sell them - all positive news for the kitchen trade and retail industry.

The key kitchen trends for 2016 are strong colours, the use of different materials - merging contemporary with traditional styles, 'zones' divided by statement pieces, smart storage, bespoke designs, and personalisation. One big trend for 2016 will be the increase in the use of technology and advanced appliances to create clever storage solutions and smart, integrated 'zonal' living spaces that make kitchens the hub of the home.

Colour

Let's begin with colours and materials. The now well-loved grey and associated muted tones will continue to be a popular choice this year following its popularity in 2015, but we will also see darker grey tones and possibly muted shades of blue and green introduced.

The use of warmer metals like zinc, brass, copper, and bronze will build steadily as an alternative to cooler metals like silver and stainless steel.

As for worktops, technological developments mean that man-made alternatives to granite and marble such as quartz and gemstone worktops are now becoming increasingly popular; especially now that there is a wider variety of colours, textures, and patterns available on the market.

Solid oak worktops will also play a key part for those wanting to achieve either contemporary or traditional looks, thanks to such a wide range of finishes and profiles. Check out our kitchen worktop range here to see our new range, launched at the start of this year.

Bespoke and customised kitchens including flexible sizing and colour matching services are increasingly expected as standard, with the momentum to continue in 2016. Customers want to be able to choose and personalise the colour of their units. Our custom painted door service allows customers to choose colours from popular manufacturers like Farrow and Ball, helping achieve the exact look they require that is unique and personal to them.

Materials

Also predicted to be popular during 2016 is the use of different materials for merging both contemporary and traditional styles. A sleek matt finish kitchen with handleless doors (using Blum's TIP-ON for doors which allow them to be opened with a light touch), combined with a Nordic-style walnut worktop or even a natural oak worktop centre island will combine modern and natural materials well.

Layout

Dividing rooms into 'zones' seems to be the buzzword for 2016 – going beyond the now, well-known concept of open-plan living. Varying materials, styles, and colours can be used to distinguish different zones within the home and kitchen space, but other interesting trends are the use of statement pieces such as islands, metal range hoods, freestanding units, and open shelving – all great for this type of new layout as they can act as room dividers without making the space feel small or crowded. Curved edges on units, larders, and islands create smooth transitions between zones, giving them a more fluid and natural feel, helping to achieve a more flexible living space.

Storage solutions are still an important part of good kitchen design and as we go into 2016, consumers are demanding that they be both cool and clever. Storage is now more 'on show' within the kitchen space, so needs to look good as well as be technically clever and functional. Blum LEGRABOX is an intelligent drawer system featuring the latest runner system technology that gives a smooth close, looks stylish, and has slim drawer sides on the inside and outside, meaning your customers gain the maximum amount of potential drawer space. AMBIA-LINE fits perfectly with LEGRABOX to give stylish, smart storage and organisation solutions where contents are always easy to find.

The merging of technology with the kitchen space is now more popular than ever. High-tech appliances and smart workstations are becoming the norm in many homes, including anything from built-in coffee makers, multi-purpose water taps, ice machines, and hidden charging stations for mobile phones and other devices, right through to automated lighting and smart ovens that can turn themselves on as and when needed.

Technology

There is a huge focus on convenience to meet the needs of the technically-advanced consumer, and we are seeing hidden and integrated appliances being used in designs. LED lighting and auto-controlled devices are also at the forefront of new kitchen design. The SensioSound spotlights go one step further by combining lighting with music played via Bluetooth. These dual-purpose intelligent spotlights are ideal for kitchen-diners and open-plan living spaces as they let you stream music while socialising and cooking; bringing entertainment to the hub of the home as well as providing energy efficient lighting.

It's clear that we'll see some exciting kitchen designs in 2016, using different materials to create a unique and customised look with technology playing a very vital role. Kitchens will continue to be both multi-functional and convenient as they increasingly become the place to eat, work, relax, and entertain within the home.

This time we're taking a look at one of our exciting new worktop ranges from Egger, known as the Egger Premium range.

These are one of the new additions to the HPP worktop collection, and one that are going down a storm with our customers!

The premium range of worktops are unique in the market, as they offer a more realistic texture and visual appearance than previously available laminated worktops, making them a real hit for those who want the look and feel of real materials, but the benefits of a maintenance free laminate.

Here's a run down of what's available.

Key Features

Offering premium wood grain, stone and ceramic effects, Egger worktops allow consumers to select a style and finish that looks at the very top end of the market, without actually breaking the bank to achieve it.

Materials such as solid wood or granite can quite often go well beyond peoples budgets, which is where these worktops come into their own, thanks to still being at a more accessible price.

The woodgrain range from Egger Premium are great for a wide range of kitchens, and are virtually indistinguishable from solid wood, but with all the hardwearing, hygienic and easy to care for benefits of laminate. They come in a square edge at 38mm thickness.

Customers are given the choice of both rustic and exotic wood grains, as well as cool stones and urban finishes; all of which help to add a truly custom feel to any kitchen design. Available in 25mm and 38mm square edge.

Installation

Installation for these worktops is exactly the same as any other standard laminate worktop, meaning that kitchen installers existing tools will work perfectly on the range, and keep installation time, costs and lead-time down to a minimum.

What's in the range…

The range features some stunning wood grains, cool stones and urban finishes. These include:

Natural Halifax Oak

Sand Gladstone Oak

Tobacco Gladstone Oak

Tobacco Halifax Oak

Ceramic Chalk

Ceramic Anthracite

Cosmic Grey

Cosmic White

Pegasus Anthracite

Pegasus White

Black

Premium White

The Finishing Touches

To complete the edge grain look with this range, Egger have created a superb end grain edging product, giving a realistic end grain appearance to the edge of any cut worktop, meaning the quality look and feel won't be compromised at any stage!

We all know that consumer trends are moving towards a warmer, more tactile finish, but as this shift is taking place, we're also seeing a fantastic movement in the materials manufacturing market, developing products to a newer and more innovative route with textures and finishes that not only get the industry excited, but get consumers' minds working overtime too.

In the last two years alone, we've seen some stunning new products, ranging from highly textured surfaces, ultra smooth, mirror gloss, matt and everything in between; so we thought we'd outline some of the most popular products in the industry at present and illustrate the differences of each.

Gloss Finishes

Since the introduction of the contemporary gloss white kitchen, we've seen some real developments in this area to provide consumers with even better, more stunning gloss finishes that are durable and scratch resistant.

Now available as acrylic or PVC gloss finishes, consumers can select from a wide range of popular colours from leading brands such as Kronospan, Finsa, Pfleiderer, Egger and Décor Panels. With new colours and tones available, gloss is now not only appealing to the contemporary market, but also to those leaning more towards a traditional look and feel too, giving it a wider, all-round appeal.

Gloss is great for creating a sense of openness and flow, and helps to create the illusion of more space in smaller kitchen designs. It also helps to bounce light around the room, making the most of any natural daylight that is available.

Maintenance is easy with these products too, but fingerprints do show up more easily than non-gloss alternatives, so this is always worth baring in mind when designing for a busy family home.

Matt Finishes

As an increasingly popular alternative to gloss finishes, consumers are starting to demand more in terms of texture and feel, which is where a matt finish is coming into its own within the industry.

Whilst not currently as popular as gloss, demand for matt finishes is without doubt increasing, and becoming a more popular choice for those wanting something more innovative and unique for their kitchens and bedrooms.

Usually manufactured with a polyurethane painted surface, matt finish furniture generates an extremely smooth yet hardwearing surface that has a certain air of quality and sophistication to it.

The décor is relatively new to the market and appears to be very popular and certainly in demand. This looks set to continue for the longer term.

Registered Embossed

Registered embossed materials provide a sophisticated feel that is perfect for creating a high value and elegant look. Materials generate life-like knots, blemishes and grains in wood patterns to give a premium feel, and are perfectly suited to both mid-market and high-end installations.

Available as Egger Feelwood and Kronospan Natural Touch, both ranges are becoming increasingly popular for consumers, as they want a more rustic, homely, warm feeling to their kitchen, bedroom and bathroom installations.

The registered embossed materials are a real step up from standard MFC products as they add a feeling of quality and prestige. They do cost a little more than the traditional MFC products, but are becoming somewhat of an industry standard for many trade customers as the benefits significantly outweigh the drawbacks.

Highly Textured Thermo-structured board

The next step up from registered embossed MFC is the premium XyloCleaf range of thermo-structured boards; currently available to buy as full sheet material and also as part of the HPP Aspects Doors Range

The product uses unique thermal manufacturing processes to generate extremely deep and intricate textures that are difficult to distinguish from the real material it is designed to mimic.

Available in a wide range of life-like wood grains, linens and other unique materials for both kitchen and bedroom applications, these are becoming a very popular choice within the industry thanks to the great finished effect that can be achieved and the sheer durability and chemical resistance of the product.

The range does come with a slightly higher price tag, which is more in line with the premium end of the market, but the end result more than compensates for this price difference as the material is very unique and individual to each design.

Mirror Finish Gloss

Created to add a little 'wow-factor' to any kitchen or bedroom design, the mirror gloss range, which is primarily available from the Kronospan range, offers a superior mirror gloss finish that gives a premium appearance, as well as an extremely hard wearing surface, making them not only great for the design of any kitchen or bedroom, but also highly practical for any situation.

These products are great for spaces large and small, as they bounce light around and help to create a true feeling of open plan, contemporary living. Maintenance is relatively hassle free with these products too, but as with the high gloss range, fingerprints do tend to show more quickly on these products in comparison to ranges such as the matt or textured products, so sometimes aren't the most suitable for busy family life.

See the full range of full sheet and cut and edged materials available from HPP here

We're excited about the fact that we now stock the new Blum LEGRABOX intelligent drawer system. It features the latest runner system technology that gives a really smooth, effortless and quality feel. They can be used in almost any setting, including kitchens, bedrooms, home offices, bathrooms and even dining areas, and its multipurpose function and stylish look means that installers and designers can see its obvious attraction.

How it works

LEGRABOX uses new runner system technology with cogs instead of ball bearings. The new motion technology is integrated into the roller carriage, which means that the opening and closing action is smooth and robust. A feature of LEGRABOX that we really like is the very clever BLUMOTION soft close that adapts to different weights and closing forces to give a close that is consistently silent.

Specification & benefits

One of the many other benefits of LEGRABOX is its ability to withstand heavy loads with an impressive carrying capacity of 40kg and 70kg. Even with this higher than average carrying capacity, increased stability along the length of the runner and a new front-fixing bracket guarantees a seamless running action.

The LEGRABOX has very slim 12.7mm drawer sides on the inside and outside which means your customers can have the maximum amount of drawer space. That's really handy when you're working on projects where space is limited.

It's available in two colours - Orion gray and brushed stainless steel, contemporary shades that blend well with a diverse range of product styles and colours. The design has certainly not been compromised by the advanced technology and brilliant functionality of this product.

Organised, sleek and tidy drawers can be easily achieved using the AMBIA-LINE inner dividing system. AMBIA-LINE fits perfectly with LEGRABOX to give you smart and stylish storage and organisation solutions where contents are always easy to find.

The system can also be upgraded with the popular 'touch opening' feature and with its matching organisation options it can be implemented in more than one area of the home - ensuring the same style flows throughout the home space.

Installation & adjustment

Because LEGRABOX has fewer parts, it's surprisingly easy to order and assemble. The three-dimensional adjustment mechanism is fully integrated and modifications to the height, side and tilt can be made with one tool, a T20 TORX driver.

The entire LEGRABOX range is available on the HPP website, and selected items are on display in our trade counters. You can also see the range in action by watching the official Blum video here:

Music fans and people who like clutter-free surfaces will love the new SensioSound spotlights - intelligent under-cabinet LED spotlights that create a great ambience by combining lighting with music played via Bluetooth. These dual-purpose intelligent spotlights are ideal for kitchen-diners and open-plan living spaces because they allow for streaming of music while socialising and cooking; bringing entertainment to the hub of the home for your customers.

How it works

The really clever thing about SensioSound is that it's an LED spotlight with a Bluetooth audio speaker already built-in. All you have to do is search for 'SensioSound' on your mobile Bluetooth device and connect wirelessly. Once connected, you can then select any music of your choice (from music stored on the device, music online or even live radio), which can then be played via these stylish spotlights.

Key features

The audio function has not compromised lighting power; in fact, SensioSound spots are brighter than the average Sensio spotlights, with a high light output of 334 lm.

It has no visible wires or boxes as the Bluetooth speaker is integrated into the product, which means it's a neat and streamlined lighting option for any modern kitchen.

SensioSound has a stylish stainless steel finish too, with two LED colour options - cool and warm white. It's integrated heat-sync feature and frosted lens gives a soft light with a beam angle of 120° making this a contemporary must-have kitchen accessory for many consumers.

It's easy to use and very compatible with various devices as it works by using Bluetooth connectivity and can be controlled from up to 10m. Another big plus is that SensioSound can be paired (providing they are powered by individual drivers) so that two play at the same time - giving a room with an all-round stereo experience.

SensioSound can help create a tidy kitchen - there is no more need to have laptops, radios and other music devices cluttering up work surfaces.

This exciting multi-functional product has an extensive lamp life of 13 years and a low power consumption of only 8w (doing its bit for the environment). Using less power means, less energy and lower costs, helping consumers with their energy bills.

How to install

Installation is hassle-free via a service-mounted fixing. All you need is a SensioSound fitting, 12V driver and a mobile device with Bluetooth enabled.

SensioSound is a simple and smart piece of equipment that is perfect for consumers' modern way of living - great for socialising, entertaining and dining with friends and family.